Housekeeping, new features, and introductions

Here's some information about the new features at PoliticsNC.

Instead of writing a Monday post, I want to let folks know what’s happening here at PoliticsNC. For the last twelve years, I’ve been been posting articles on PoliticsNC three to five days a week. That is not going to change, but I have made changes.

I am adding video podcasts, not replacing written content. I’ll post several of these videos a week. Sometimes, they will reflect what I’ve written and sometimes they will cover new topics.

I’ve added the podcasts to try to expand my reach. Audio and video is increasingly becoming the preferred medium for receiving information, especially among people under 40 years old. I’m still learning and hope to get better, but I’ve already gotten positive feedback from numerous listeners. In time, I hope to do interviews and bring guests to the program.

I want to thank everyone who has contributed to PoliticsNC. I’m humbled and honored by your support.

Starting in April, I’m going to increase the donation price from $50 a year or $5 a month to $60 a year or $6 a month. The Founder rate will remain at $150 a year. I hope you’ll stick with me. I need to cover the additional time to create the new content.

I do not want to add a paywall. My goal is to keep as many people informed as possible, regardless of the ability to pay. That said, if you have the means and appreciate my content, I hope you will consider a subscription to keep us going.

About the podcast

If you don’t want to receive the videos, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of an email that comes from “Words from Thomas Mills.” You will still continue to receive written posts from PoliticsNC. If you know how, you can turn off notifications for “Words from Thomas Mills” under “manage subscription” in your Substack profile.

If you just want to listen to the podcast instead of watch the video, you can choose the headphone button instead of the video button. If you would prefer to read the transcript, click the transcript button. See below.

About Thomas Mills and PoliticsNC

We’ve had a flood of new readers so I want to introduce myself to people who have recently joined. I’ve been writing PoliticsNC since 2013. My perspective comes mainly from my life experience, my work on political campaigns, and the media I consume.

I grew up in a rural North Carolina county that was half White and half Black in the 1960s and 1970s. I remember segregated waiting rooms, movie theaters, bathrooms, and drinking fountains. I entered first grade in the first year of forced integration. Those experiences shaped my perspective on race and politics.

I spent several years working in construction after high school and again after college. I got to know people who struggled to make ends meet and met people who came to North Carolina as economic refugees from other states, most notably West Virginia and Ohio. They thought more about their day-to-day existence than most people I know today.

I also spent about three years working as a child neglect and abuse investigator. I got a glimpse of extreme poverty up close. I met children who, by elementary school age, had more cognitive abilities than their parents. I saw the generational impact of sexual abuse and incest. I also saw the barriers those children faced in escaping difficult circumstances.

Though I grew up in politics with a father who was a Superior Court judge and an uncle who served in both the state House and state Senate, I didn’t work on my first political campaign until I was over 30 years old. Within a couple of years, I was making my living as a political consultant. Since the late 1990s, I’ve worked mostly on legislative, Congressional, and down-ballot statewide campaigns in North Carolina and around the country.

In the world of politics, I’m a campaign foot soldier. While I’ve worked on some of the most competitive races in the country, I’ve never been among the upper echelon of consultants with hefty contracts or the ears of the powerful. Hence, my screaming into the void from Substack. CNN and MSNBC aren’t looking to offer me six-figure salaries as a campaign analyst. I’m really just a working stiff, but I’ve played significant roles in campaigns that range from city council to the White House.

As for my news consumption, I subscribe to a variety of mainstream national media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. I get more in-depth coverage from liberal-leaning outlets like The Atlantic and New York Magazine. I get conservative perspectives from Commentary Magazine, The Dispatch, and National Review. Locally, I have subscriptions to the McClatchy papers that include the News & Observer and Charlotte Observer and I subscribe to The Assembly. I regularly read Cardinal & Pine and Carolina Journal, as well as several Substacks like Anderson Alerts and Longleaf Politics. The most entertaining news I’ve found lately is at the Bulwark where I listen to a number of podcasts and read their commentary. I do not watch cable or television news except what I see in social media clips.

Politically, I consider myself a pragmatic liberal. I believe in the power of government to make a positive impact, but I also believe in restraining it to allow freedom and ingenuity. I believe the free market is the best way to create the wealth necessary to feed the world, but I also believe it needs to be restrained to prevent concentration of wealth among the few at the expense of the many. Balance is necessary for a healthy system of government.

That’s who I am and that’s the perspective you’ll get at PoliticsNC. If you have more questions, email me and I’ll be glad to answer them. Thanks for reading and listening and if you’re a paid subscriber, double thanks. If you’re not and will consider becoming one, I would greatly appreciate it.